Time-dependent differential effects of cobalt ions on rod- and cone-driven responses in the isolated frog retina.

The effects of cobalt ions on 502-nm rod- and 575-nm cone-driven components of the b-wave of the electroretinogram were studied in the isolated frog retina. Addition of 100-150 microM cobalt initially caused a suppression of rod-driven responses and an enhancement of cone-driven responses. In the continued presence of cobalt, however, the rod-driven responses gradually recovered and the cone-driven responses became suppressed. These concentrations of cobalt had no effect on the rod- and cone-driven mass receptor potentials which were isolated in the presence of 4 mM glutamate. At higher concentrations of cobalt (1 mM or greater), both rod- and cone-driven b-wave responses were eliminated and there was no recovery in the continued presence of cobalt. The results suggest that cobalt has markedly different, time-dependent effects on signal transmission from rods and cones to second-order cells.

Structural and functional properties of two types of horizontal cell in the skate retina.

Two morphologically distinct types of horizontal cell have been identified in the all-rod skate retina by light- and electron-microscopy as well as after isolation by enzymatic dissociation. The external horizontal cell is more distally positioned in the retina and has a much larger cell body than does the internal horizontal cell. However, both external and internal horizontal cells extend processes to the photoreceptor terminals where they end as lateral elements adjacent to the synaptic ribbons within the terminal invaginations. Whole-cell voltage-clamp studies on isolated cells similar in appearance to those seen in situ showed that both types displayed five separate voltage-sensitive conductances: a TTX-sensitive sodium conductance, a calcium current, and three potassium-mediated conductances (an anomalous rectifier, a transient outward current resembling an A current, and a delayed rectifier). There was, however, a striking difference between external and internal horizontal cells in the magnitude of the current carried by the anomalous rectifier. Even after compensating for differences in the surface areas of the two cell types, the sustained inward current elicited by hyperpolarizing voltage steps was a significantly greater component of the current profile of external horizontal cells. A difference between external and internal horizontal cells was seen also in the magnitudes of their TEA-sensitive currents; larger currents were usually obtained in recordings from internal horizontal cells. However, the currents through these K+ channels were quite small, the TEA block was often judged to be incomplete, and except for depolarizing potentials greater than or equal to +20 mV (i.e., outside the normal operating range of horizontal cells), this current did not provide a reliable indicator of cell type. The fact that two classes of horizontal cell can be distinguished by their electrophysiological responses, as well as by their morphological appearance and spatial distribution in the retina, suggests that they may play different roles in the processing of visual information within the retina.

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced currents of skate Muller (glial) cells are mediated by neuronal-like GABAA receptors.

Radial glia (Muller cells) of the vertebrate retina appear to be intimately involved in regulating the actions of amino acid neurotransmitters. One of the amino acids thought to be important in mediating retinal information flow is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The findings of this study indicate that enzymatically isolated skate Muller cells are depolarized by GABA and the GABAA agonist muscimol and that the actions of these agents are reduced by bicuculline and picrotoxin. Membrane currents induced by GABA under voltage clamp were dose dependent, were associated with an increase in membrane conductance, and showed marked desensitization when the concentration of GABA exceeded 2.5 microM. The responses had a reversal potential close to that calculated for chloride, indicating that the currents were generated by ions passing through channels. These data support the view that skate Muller cells possess functional GABAA receptors. The presence of such receptors on retinal glia may have important implications for the role of Muller cells in maintaining the constancy of the extracellular milieu, for neuron-glia interactions within the retina, and for theories concerning the generation of the electroretinogram.

Suppression of cone-driven responses by rods in the isolated frog retina.

The sensitivity of rod- and cone-driven responses was studied in the isolated frog retina during the period of rapid dark adaptation following a conditioning flash which bleached a negligible amount of visual pigment. Following a conditioning flash, cone-driven b-wave responses were first enhanced and then depressed. The time courses of the enhancement and subsequent depression of cone-drive responses varies greatly with the intensity and wavelength of the conditioning flash, but were identical when the conditioning flashes were matched for equal excitation of 502 nm rods. These changes in cone-driven response sensitivity were correlated with the desensitization and recovery of rods following the conditioning flash. When signal transmission from rods to second-order cells was interrupted by the addition of L-glutamate, the conditioning flash did not produce the above-described enhancement and subsequent depression of long-wavelength receptor potential responses. The suppression of cone-driven response therefore appears to be due to a synaptically mediated influence from 502 nm rods which is maximal when the rods are in the dark-adapted state, with little or no contribution from 433 nm rods, and no involvement of the pigment epithelium.